CCC Blog

Catalyzing the computing research community and enabling the pursuit of innovative, high-impact research.

Computing Community Consortium Blog

The goal of the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) is to catalyze the computing research community to debate longer range, more audacious research challenges; to build consensus around research visions; to evolve the most promising visions toward clearly defined initiatives; and to work with the funding organizations to move challenges and visions toward funding initiatives. The purpose of this blog is to provide a more immediate, online mechanism for dissemination of visioning concepts and community discussion/debate about them.

CCC Weekly Computing News: Two AI Institutes Launched To Help Astronomers Understand the Universe

September 20th, 2024 / in CCC / by Petruce Jean-Charles

In this installment of CCC’s Weekly Computing News, we are sharing the exciting launch of two AI Institutes funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Simon Foundation to understand the cosmos.

NSF and Simons Foundation launch 2 AI Institutes to help astronomers understand the cosmos

NSF and the Simons Foundation are funding two new National Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes focused on astronomical sciences, each receiving $20 million over five years. These institutes aim to advance AI’s capabilities to analyze large amounts of astronomical data generated by large-scale projects like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory.

NSF-Simons AI Institute for Cosmic Origins (CosmicAI): Led by The University of Texas at Austin, focuses on accelerating data processing, analyzing complex astronomical phenomena, and democratizing access to research tools through AI-based assistants.

NSF-Simons AI Institute for the Sky (SkAI): Led by Northwestern University, SkAI will address complex problems in astrophysics, including the study of neutron stars, black holes, and the influences of dark matter and dark energy.

Both institutes will support researchers at all levels, provide educational opportunities, and aim to produce tools beneficial for various scientific disciplines. They will also engage in outreach activities like summer schools and online courses to train the next generation of AI-literate scientists.

This initiative is part of a broader federal effort to promote responsible AI development and applications.